Werewolves, and Vampires, and Shadow Hunters, Oh My!

City of Bones

by Cassandra Clare
New York : Simon Pulse, 2007.
1st U.S. ed.
340 p. ; 24 cm.

I have to be up front and admit that this is not really my kind of book, but that being said, it was a fun read with a very imaginative and compelling plot. Where does one start with this realistic/fantasy set in New York. Regular high school girl Clara Fray quickly finds out she's anything but regular and quickly becomes part of the world that we regular folks (mundanes) never see. It is a world of demon killers (shadow hunters), down worlders, raveners, the Forsaken, magic, portals, etc. (you get the picture). The story revolves around Clara coming into her own as she seeks to find out who she really is, how she can save her mother, and who she can love and trust.

Clara is an admirable protagonist - not ridiculously smart, but smart, brave, loyal and oddly normal. The strange coexistence of magic and the normal world recalls Rowling, Gaiman, and Meyer. The plot has just enough romance along with plenty of fights, blood and scariness.

This is the first book in a trilogy, and I assume it will be popular.